Tag: rachel

I looked up the definition of family and this is what dictionary.com gave me:“anygroupofpersonscloselyrelatedbyblood,asparents,children, uncles,aunts,andcousins.“ For some people, their family dynamics consist of just that and nothing more. They speak to one another due to obligation; they tolerate each other because “blood is thicker than water” –whatever that’s actually supposed to mean. If you ask me, having a great & reliable family is a wonderful thing. And even when you have someone who’s not the best at their role, but they’re putting forth the effort, that’s fine–I would take the attempt over the lack thereof.

Fortunately, I was blessed with an amazing family. My parents are more wonderful than you could imagine, my sisters are my best friends, my brother-in-law is basically the brother that I never had, and my nieces and nephew are God’s most beautiful blessings–come on, you’ve seen them! My extended family, on the other hand, is a bit of a mix. Some of them are cool, some…not so much. But, it’s okay because I don’t depend on them and they’re doing enough for me.To those that do and offer more, thank you!

Rachel is one of those people. She’s my first cousin and one of my mom’s many nieces. She and I weren’t very close when we were younger. In fact, I didn’t like her very much because she would always call my little sister stupid–not sure why, as she’s quite smart–and behaved quite cruel towards us . But in retrospect, the kid was dealing with a lot. Thankfully, we’re closer now. She practically lives at my house on the weekends and sometimes during the week–which is funny because we’re all 20 and over now. She’ll be invited to all of our family functions, even when some other family members aren’t, and she’s sure to be a bridesmaid in my wedding.

I’ve watch her grow over the years, and I love her dearly. I respect the passion she has for her craft and how she attempts to make everyone love music and the clarinet just as much as she does–I could never! But I listen to her because I know that not everyone will, and she definitely deserves it. I think it’s funny when people deem others as weird or strange because they’re interested in things that aren’t mainstream. Whatever, dude! Love what you love, and be who you are. Beethoven was probably pretty strange back in his day, but when people heard his music they could do nothing but pay attention.

You never know when you’re encountering a Beethoven, people, so be sure to pay attention.

Love you, Rae!

A big thanks to Rachel for letting me photograph her! Be sure to follow her on Instagram @rae_harvey!